The 2013 Webster University – SPICE College Chess Final Four Championship team (So, Meier, Robson, Corrales, Hoyos, and Bykhovsky) will finally have a chance to hoist the President’s Cup and have their pictures taken with it on Monday, April 29 (instead of April 7 at the Award / Closing Ceremony)
This is the first time in the illustrious College Chess Final Four history that the winning team was not awarded / presented the President’s Cup at the Closing Ceremony. What is the “real” reason for this? You decide. I have no idea but lots of fingers pointing as to why the cup was not at the Opening Ceremony like every single year before that.
The bottom line is Texas Tech did not return the cup in time for the Final Four. It was shipped to Webster University after the event was finished and the team was already back in St. Louis. It is an unfortunate and unprofessional situation. But this will serve as a bigger motivation for the members of Webster University Chess Team next year. The tentative 2013-2014 GM roster for Webster, the #1 ranked team in the nation, is:
GM Le Quang Liem (Vietnam)
GM Wesley So (Philippines)
GM Georg Meier (Germany)
GM Ray Robson (USA)
GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez (Cuba)
GM Manuel Leon Hoyos (Mexico)
GM Anatoly Bykhovsky (Israel)
GM Denes Boros (Hungary)
GM Andre Diamant (Brazil)
(9 GMs from 9 different countries, plus 3 more 2600 GMs in the system for 2014)
Report by Paul Truong
A classy move by Texas Tech. If we can’t beat them, screw them. Guns up, y’all.
Any penalty for poor sportsmanship? Anyone got fired? Are did they all get a raise?
Can you blame Texas Tech? This is the same university that lost the top chess program in the country to protect meat judging and moot court.
Obviously Le & So will go all out to be SPICE #1 ranked player.
This is the first time in the illustrious College Chess Final Four history that the winning team was not awarded / presented the President’s Cup at the Closing Ceremony.
Glyn Willmoth